


The Fool's mate

by bluehairedbeauty



Series: Soulmate series [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Assumed Intelligence, Chess, Established Relationship, Everyone is still in high school, Fluff, Hidden Talents, M/M, No Angst, No Smut, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:33:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28948239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluehairedbeauty/pseuds/bluehairedbeauty
Summary: Akaashi Keiji can play chess.Scratch that, Akaashi Keiji is very good at chess.Bokuto Kotaro can't play chess.Or can he?
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Series: Soulmate series [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2107104
Comments: 4
Kudos: 50





	The Fool's mate

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is the Boukaka fic I was writing! I tend go though periods where I forget chess is a thing and then play it for three weeks straight at every chance I get. Also, my spacebar is acting up again, so I tired to catch all the spacing issues, but be warned there may be some left. There is also a link at the end that shows the chess match I referenced, if anyone needs to see it visually. Enjoy!

The doorbell chimed twice through the Akaashi household. Perfect timing, considering how Keiji had just finished brewing some tea for his guest. He briskly walked over to the entryway, trying to keep his bubbling excitement under control. He opened the door, but before it was even half-way open the person on the other side burst in and wrapped his arms around Akaashi’s neck in a bear hug.

“AGAHSIII!!” Bokuto cried excitedly. 

“Hello Bokuto-san.”

After the embrace and general hello’s and brief kisses, Akaashi briskly led Bokuto by the hand into the kitchen, where the tea had cooled to an enjoyable temperature. Bokuto sat at the counter and accepted the cup of tea Akaashi offered. Akaashi raised his cup to his own lips, and paused as he began to observe Bokuto. It was widely known that Bokuto Kotaro greatly preferred coffee to tea, the latter being too bitter in the ace’s limited experience. Akaashi, however, enjoyed tea over coffee; especially green tea and honey. It became Akaashi’s mission to find a tea his boyfriend enjoyed, and Akaashi may have struck gold with this one. He could hardly contain his excitement.

Meanwhile, Bokuto began the same process he did everytime Akaashi presented him with a new tea to try. Looking into the cup, Bokuto observed that the liquid was a deep golden bronze color, very different to the red one he tried last time. Bokuto then brought the cup near his nose and inhaled the aroma the tea gave off. He had picked up a thing or two from all his tea trials, as he liked to call them, and could tell that there was a nuttiness to the drink. _Interesting_ , Bokuto thought, _The last time he gave me a nutty tea to try I hated it._ Bokuto tenitavely raised the cup to his lips, blew on it once, then took a drink.

Bokuto was shocked with how good the tea was.

Akaashi was shocked that Bokuto took another drink.

“Do you actually like it?” Akaashi asked earnestly. Bokuto looked up at the setter, blue eyes wide in shock.

“I...I guess I do. I didn’t expect it to have caramel in it. Sure, it could stand to be sweeter, but it's really good. I— HEY! You found a tea that I like!” Bokuto turned with excited eyes to Akaashi, who had a big closed mouth smile on his face; so big it almost made his eyes close. He hummed in response. Bokuto’s eyes lingered on Akaashi, admiring the younger boy before returning to his tea. Akaashi had done it. It took 32 tries over the span of a year and a half, but he had done it. All the perfect scores and perfect sets paled in comparison to the pride he felt in this moment. Akaashi finally took a graceful sip of his own tea, as Bokuto elegantly chugged the rest of his and poured himself another drink. Akaashi had finally been able to share one of his joys with his boyfriend.

It was no secret that Bokuto was much more of an open person that Akaashi was. He played his cards close to his chest, whereas Bokuto would lay them on the table for everyone to see. The whole team knew all about Bokuto’s interests because he talked about them even if no one was listening. Obviously, volleyball was a favorite of his, along with Pokemon and animals; but Bokuto was surprisingly well rounded in his passions. He was incredible on the grill and on the guitar — even though he had only started to learn a few months ago, he had a natural talent. He even knew how to sew, a trick he learned from his oldest sister. To others, Bokuto Kotaro may be simple on the surface, but lend an ear and he’ll gain dimensions; show interest and he’ll blossom (and maybe even teach you something in the process).

If Bokuto was like an open plain, Akaashi was like the arctic. His habits and interests needed to be sought after, and more often than not you were met with a cold response, but wondrous was it when the ice was broken. He liked to read, but you’d have to pry for his favorite book, and unveiling his favorite book unplugged all of his opinions on the text; he enjoyed food, but his true opinions were often left unsaid, until you dug a little deeper and found a surprising passion for savory foods. Bokuto was always amazed and saddened by what he didn’t know about his Soulmate. He felt like he failed when it took him three months to figure out that Akaashi’s favorite color is lilac, whereas Akaashi knew Bokuto’s favorite color was a tie between yellow and black within the first week of knowing him. That’s why these little moments, like sharing Akaashi’s passion about something as fickle as tea, meant the world to the ace. With each new passion he shared, he felt like he knew his partner better.

And nothing beats seeing Akaashi smile.

“What kind of tea is this?” Bokuto asked after he finished his third cup. He felt a little bad that he drank the majority of the tea, but Akasshi didn’t seem to mind.

“It is a caramel nougat tea which is a kind of black tea,” Akaashi said as he moved to retrieve the cylindrical container the blend was stored in. “I found it in one of the shops I frequent. I had some earlier this week, and I assumed you’d like it. You can keep it, it's a gift.” He handed Bokuto the container, and the setter watched as he skimmed the ingredients and instructions. 

“I— thank you Akaashi! I feel a bit bad that I didn—” Bokuto cut himself off when he opened the lid and saw the leaves and other ingredients loose in the can. His eyes grew a bit wide in shock.

“What is it?” 

“I...this may be dumb, but...isn’t the tea supposed to be in a bag?” Bokuto looked up at Akaashi, and Akaashi couldn't help but chuckle at his Soulmate’s confused expression. The tea had always been prepared before Bokuto arrived.

“That’s how the tea comes Bokuto-san,” Akaashi moved around the counter and placed his hands over Bokuto’s and guided the latter’s hands to close the lid. “You’ll need a tea strainer to put the leaves in. I can give you one of mine before you leave and show you how to use it, but let’s clean up here before we forget.” Akaashi leaned forward and planted a light kiss onto Bokuto’s forehead. As he turned and picked up the teapot and cups, he could practically feel the light emanating from Bokuto as a result of his actions. Bokuto, ever so graceful, almost knocked the chair he was sitting on over in his excitement to help his Soulmate. This earned him another adoring chuckle from Akaashi.  


**♛**

Akaashi led Bokuto up the stairs and to his room. They had decided to watch a movie, and Akaashi kept all of their favorites in his room for easy access in case he wanted to re-watch one. Bokuto was always amazed at how neat Akaashi’s room was. In the middle of the room was a blue and white rug. There was a bed in the far corner, with a desk next to it and in front of a window. On the windowsill were a few plants basking in the late afternoon sun. On the wall opposite the bed were two tall bookshelves, tastefully organized with books, games, movies, pictures, and trinkets. Next to the bookshelf was his dresser and hamper, and along the last was a second desk where Akaashi painted. Bokuto always admired Akaashi’s work ardently. Bokuto especially loved his watercolor works, but then again, anything that Akaashi made belonged in a museum. Akaashi would argue that his work was average.

Bokuto strolled up next to Akaashi’s left after he finished observing the latter’s latest masterpiece — a field of wildflowers in the mountains— when he caught a glance of Akaashi’s Soulmark as the setter raised his hand to the movies on the shelf. It was small, and on the outside of his left wrist. Just a triangle between two dots, the one below bigger than the one above. He’d seen his own mark a billion times on his own wrist, but the baby blue insignia always seemed prettier on Akaashi’s wrist. But, as with most things, Bokuto thought everything looked better on Akaashi. But just as Bokuto was about to dive headlong into his thoughts about how wonderful Akaashi is, he noticed a large wooden box that wasn't there last week laying horizontally on a shelf a little higher than eye-level.

“Hay ‘Kashi.”

“Hmm?”

“What’s that?”

Akaashi looked over to where Bokuto was pointing.

“Oh, that’s a chessboard. I recently found it and moved it to my room. I think my mom gave it to me whenI was ten.”

“You play chess?”

“Only a little, I’m not very good. I picked it up when I was nine, but I haven’t played in a while.” An idea began to form in the back of Akaashi’s mind, making his heart rate rise ever so slightly. 

“I had no idea you could play—”

“Would you like to play?” Akaashi winced at the volume of his own voice. “I...I can teach you...if you’d like.” His offer to teach came out more timid than he’d like, his heart beating tremendously at his excited outburst. He rarely let his excitement show and he felt heat rise to his face. As he re-focused on Bokuto, he saw something click in Bokuto’s mind.

“Sure! I’d love to.” Bokuto smiled as he responded.

Akaashi got the box down from the shelf and brought it to the middle of the room and set it down on the rug. Akaashi began to unpack the chessboard and pieces. Akaashi knew it meant the world to Bokuto when he shared his hobbies with him. He knew the taller boy felt inadequate when Akaashi knew things about Bokuto that Bokuto didn’t know about Akaashi. Hell, it took Akaashi nearly seven months to work up the courage to show Bokuto even his best paintings; but the memory of Bokuto’s joy and happiness at finally being privy to Akaashi’s life made the uneasiness go away, and fueled his attempts to be more open with his Soulmate. Though chess wasn’t as personal as his art, it was still something that Bokuto and himself could share in, and Akaashi was willing to share.

But, he did lie. Akaashi wasn’t ‘only a little’ good at chess; he was very good at it. No, he wasn't Hikaru Nakamurara or Magnus Carlsen, but almost everyone he challenged he had beaten by a long shot. And, not to mention, he was still riding the high of finally, _finally_ , finding a tea that Bokuto liked, and his confidence may be clouding his better judgement.

Bokuto had never seen a prettier chessboard. The wood was a dark oak with blue and gold designs running and swirling along the sides. The face of the board had a glossy finish, probably to protect the board from being chipped by the pieces. The pieces themselves were some sort of light and dark stone. They were elegant and slender and cool to the touch. In the stone were flakes of the same gold and blue on the chessboard. This was obviously a very nice, and expensive, board, and Bokuto realized that you don’t give a novice this kind of gift if they are just learning to play. But, he got it for his tenth birthday, and he started playing at nine, so how good was Akaashi actually…

“Ok. Are you ready, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi’s voice drew Bokuto from his thoughts. Akaashi had set the board up so he would play the black pieces and Bokuto the white.

“Teach away ‘Kashi.” Bokuto said as he leaned back on his hands. Akaahsi nodded and picked up the first piece from the board.

“This is the pawn. He’s usually played like a common foot soldier. On his first move, he can move either two spaces forward or one, but after that he can only move one space forward and capture diagonally,” Akaashi returned the piece to the board and demonstrated how to move the piece and capture. “If, by chance, you get your pawn to the other side of the board, you can exchange it for any other piece, usually a queen. Do you have any questions so far?” Bokuto shook his head and Akaashi exchanged pieces. 

“This is the rook, you only have two of them. They can only move up and down and side-to-side in straight lines. But, there is no limit to how far they can travel. The rook can’t jump pieces, so you’ll have to move your pawns to use the rook,” Bokuto watched as Akaashi replaced the kingside rook and removed the knight and bishop. “If you haven’t moved your rook or king, but have removed the pieces between them, you can castle. It’s kind of like a hidden move.” Akaashi demonstrated by castling. He looked up to catch Bokuto’s expression, but instead of the excitement over the move that Akaashi expected, Bokuto simply nodded and continued to look at the board. _Weird,_ Akaashi thought, _I thought he would love the idea of castling, given that I baited it like a secret move._ He reset the pieces, then picked up the next.

“This is the knight. It’s arguably the hardest piece to learn. The knight is the only piece that can jump other pieces. For now, just know the knight can move in L shapes,” Akaashi demonstrated by having the knight jump around the board. “It can move two squares in any direction vertically, then one horizontally or vice versa. If you get stuck, I’ll help you since you’re a beginner.” Akaashi looked up and met Bokuto’s eyes. The latter smiled and thanked him, but Akaashi sensed that it wasn’t as genuine as he liked. Why wasn’t Bokuto asking more questions? Chess wasn’t exactly tic-tac-toe. Upon further inspection, Akaashi saw that Bokuto’s eyes had a familiar gleam to them. He was looking at the chessboard, skimming the squares, but he was looking at the game like he was deep in the third set of a volleyball match. It was...weird. He wasn’t looking at the pieces, but at the board; and his eyes moved like he was running routes on the board. When Bokuto looked up at him, the gleam almost disappeared, and Akaashi figured he was just imagining how the different pieces moved. 

“So...what does this guy do?” Bokuto asked and held up the bishop. Akaashi became aware of the silence he created while he was thinking. He cleared his throat and responded:

“That’s the bishop. He is exactly like the rook, but instead of straight lines, he moves in diagonals. The one you’re holding is the light squared bishop. He can only move on white squares, while the other one takes to the darker squares.”

“And this,” Akaashi said as he held up his own king, watching Bokuto replace his bishop, “is the king. The king usually has the cross on the top. You need to protect him at all costs. He can move in one square each direction. When the king is put in check, then that means that he will be taken in the next move. Checkmate is when the king has nowhere to go, and any move he makes will result in his capture. If you lose your king, you lose the game.” Bokuto nodded solemnly.

“Last is the queen. She can move and capture vertically, diagonally, and horizontally. Like the rook and Bishop, the queen has unlimited moves until she runs into another piece. She is by far the most powerful piece on the board, but if you lose her it’s not a guarantee that you’ll lose the game,” Akaashi returned the queen to her square and pointed at the board. “The board is set up with the columns starting with A and going through H from left to right. The rows are numbered 1-8 starting at the bottom. So, if you want to move a pawn to b3, he would go here.” Akaashi did as he said and moved Bokuto’s pawn to b3. 

Akaashi returned the piece to its original spot. As he looked up from the board, Akaashi gestured with his hand and said that white goes first and they switch colors each round. And with that, Bokuto moved his pawn to f4. 

Akaashi won the game in under ten minutes.

“Checkmate.” he said as Bokuto rubbed the back of his neck. Akaashi had both his bishops, a knight, a rook, his queen and four pawns. Bokuto had three of Akaashi’s pawns and a rook, not to mention spent the majority of the game in check.

“Jeez you are really good.” Bokuto said.

“Thank you Bokuto-san. You played very well for your first time, and you only miss-moved your knight once. I’m very impressed.” That was ture. Akaashi remembers playing chess with his father when he was still learning and the older man getting annoyed about how many times he wrongly moved the knight.

“Thanks ‘Kashi. It’s easy to move because it's the only one I have to remember to remember!” Bokuto beamed at his flawless logic. Akaashi just smiled flatly.

“Here, let's play again. You’re getting the hang of it.” Akaashi replaced the pieces and rotated the board. He moved his pawn to d4. Bokuto moved his pawn to f5.Akaashi recognized this opening pattern. _Ah, the Dutch defense_ , Akaashi thought, then played his pawn to g3.

This match lasted a little longer, and Bokuto even got to castle, much to his delight; but Akaashi did end up taking the match.

“Well done Bokuto. You were able to put me in check at the end. I’m impressed.”

“Thanks ‘Kashi! If I hadn’t blundered my queen at the end I think I would have been able to win.” Bokuto said cheerfully. 

Akaashi hummed in response, and began to reset the board.

_Wait, blundered?_

Akaashi stopped what he was doing and looked up at Bokuto, who was admiring the shelves of books.

“Bokuto-san, where did you get that terminology?”

“Hmm?”

“When you said you blundered,” Akaashi clarified. “That’s the correct term for messing up. How did you know that?”

“Oh! I guess I just picked it up from somewhere!” Bokuto sat up straighter, his good natured expression all over his face.

“Ah, I see.” Akaashi relaxed a little, but not entirely. There had been a few times during the matches that Akaashi had been surprised and confused by Bokuto. There were moments where he had been more aggressive than a novice would have the confidence to be, and once he played a move so genius that Akaashi had to actually think hard about his next move. Bokuto was a fast learner, but Akaashi began to doubt the validity of Bokuto’s lack of chess experience.

Akaashi rotated the board. Bokuto had the white pieces and was therefore the first to move. They ended up splitting the next two rounds, Akaashi won the first where Bokuto won the second, even at the disadvantage of moving second.

“HEY HEY HEY!!!! I finally won!” Bokuto pumped his fists in the air as he deafened poor Akaashi.

“That was the best match you played yet.”

“You think so?!”

“Of course, you won after all. Good game Bokuto-san.” Akaashi was smiling slightly as he began to pack up the pieces and put them neatly in the box. Bokuto had learned how to play competent chess; and even managed to win once. This could definitely become a regular date activity for them. Heck, even in a few months, judging by how quick of a learner Bokuto was, he may actually become a strong opponent to play against.

“ ‘Kashi wait,” Bokuto held out his hand in the universal signal to stop. Akaashi looked up. “One more round? Please?”

Oh no. Bokuto was using his owl eyes. Bokuto’s owl eyes were a lot like anybody else’s puppy-dog eyes, but were ten times as effective. His big golden eyes seemed to radiate the purest, unadulterated, energy in the world. Akaashi was sucked into Bokuto’s honey eyes and was stuck there.

“I’m having a lot of fun, so can we just play one more game?” 

“Of course. One more game.” Akaashi said as he spun the board after he returned the pieces that were already in the box back to the board. Bokuto had the white pieces and moved first. This was the same face Bokuto pulled to get extra sets in practice, and Akaashi wondered what kind of monster the previous setter was to deny Bokuto extra sets when he looked as cute as he did now. 

Bokuto opened by moving his pawn to d4. Akaashi lazily responded with pawn to f5. Bokuto moved bishop to g5. Akaashi moved his pawn to h6. The setter was actually looking forward to watching the movie. He had a bit of a difficult academic week and the best way to re-charge for the next week is to spend an hour or two cuddled into Bokuto’s board chest while the ace delicately played with his hair. Bokuto retreated his bishop to f4. Akaashi countered with a pawn to g5. But, it wasn’t that Akaashi was complaining about spending time with Bokuto. He was about to leave for university, even if it was at the behest of his parents. Bokuto wanted to go straight to the professional leagues, but Akaashi had to agree with Bokuto’s parents on this one; school is important. Bokuto moved his bishop again, this time to g3. Akaashi moved the pawn on f5 up one square. But, they had never been apart as bonded Soulmates. Sure, bonded was just a fancy way of saying they were together and dating and public about it, but it would be a new challenge for their relationship. Akaashi knew first hand, due to the fact that his aunt’s relationship fell apart when her Soulmate left for university; and they had been together for at least twice as long as Akaashi’s. Bokuto moved the king’s pawn up one square. Of course, they had more chemistry than his aunt ever had— she has about as many emotions as a brick wall— Akaashi thought cruelly as he took the bishop on g3. He would miss Bokuto severely, and Akaashi wanted to spend the time that he had with his Soulmate the way he wanted. It wasn’t that chess wasn’t fun, but playing five games in a row was a bit tedious. Bokuto moved his queen. Bokuto was amazing in many ways, but he had a horrible one track mind. If something shiny caught his attention, he would focus on it in its entirety. Of course, it wasn’t always bad, but Akaashi wanted to do other things today, and Bokuto was stuck on this stupid game that it made it near impossi— 

“Checkmate, Akaashi.”

Akaashi blinked, then looked down at the board. Bokuto’s queen had been moved to h5. Apparently, Akaashi had been paying less attention than he thought. His own pieces cut the king off from escape forward and sideways, and Bokuto’s queen made escape diagonally impossible. 

“How did you…” Akaashi began to replay the match in his mind. He had been checkmated in six moves.

“I read about this match in a book I have.” Bokuto responded, deftly putting all of the pieces back on their rightful squares. Akaashi watched and began to feel dread pool in the bottom of his stomach.

“A...book? You have books on chess?”

“A few. I’ve always wanted to try this one. I got it from a book on the most famous chess matches in history, and you didn’t notice the trap in the first few moves, so I figured why not see as far as I could go.” Bokuto said with a small shrug.

“...This is the 1800’s game, from….” Akaashi was blanking on the location and who played it. His nerves were becoming more and more frayed with every passing second.

“New York, 1896. That’s the match where the Fool’s mate was used.”

“...Bokuto, how long have you been playing?” Akaashi looked at Bokuto in slight horror. _Had he known how to play this whole time? Was he playing down to let me win? Oh no...is Bokuto upset because I explained a game he already knew to him like he was clueless? Did I make him mad?_

“I’ve been playing since I was nine,” Bokuto said as he looked up. “My grandma taught me and my sisters one summer. Me and my sisters were obsessed with it for that summer. But, after that summer they lost interest, but I’ve stuck with it. Eventually when they left home me and my mom would play, but it wasn’t very fun because she wasn’t very good.”

“And you have books on the game?”

“Just a few! Nothing on serious strategy or anything. My mom got them for me on various birthdays. They’re good go-to gifts. Mostly they’re about famous matches throughout history, which is way more interesting than strategies and memorizing stuff.” Bokuto pulled a face at the idea of memorizing so many different patterns.

“Bokuto, why didn’t you tell me you could play?”

Bokuto paused and brought his hand to his chin, thinking about how to best respond to Akaashi’s question.

“Well…” He began, “I guess I didn’t want to steal your ‘spark’. When you do talk about what you like, you light up and...well, glow. It’s really amazing how you completely change— in-in a good way! Like, the first time I was able to get you to talk about your favorite animal and you talked for thirty minutes straight about it. I’ve never seen you more excited about something. You care a lot for certain things, and you keep them so close to yourself it’s hard to share in what you love! Like with the tea thing! I was able to share and take joy in something you love with you! And you wanted to share it with me! I didn’t have to pry and dig and feel like I was invading you and your privacy and overstay my welcome in your life. And, I know you’re more private than I am and sometimes I can be overwhelming and exhausting, but this time I didn’t have to get my shovel and hard hat and snoop around, you offered to play chess with me; and teach me on top of it! So, of course I’d jump at that offer! I get to hear you talk about something you love and you get to share a little bit of yourself with me. I could ask for nothing more!”

Bokuto looked up at his Soulmate, and upon reading his downcast mood, he added lightheartedly: “And don’t worry about assuming I didn’t know how to play. No one on the team does! I mean, no one really believes me when I tell them. I brought it up in my first year, but no one thought I was smart enough and we had no board to play on to prove I could, so the issue died. Uh— don’t worry! I don’t feel bad about it! It doesn’t bother me!”

“Still, it wasn’t right of me to jump to that conclusion. I’m your boyfriend and Soulmate, I should be better than the team. I should know first hand how you’re always more than what meets the eye. I’m sorry, Kotaro.” Akaashi looked at his lap, hot shame lit up his cheeks.

How could he be so selfish? How could he have not noticed everything sooner? Bokuto never said he could or couldn't play. Akaashi had just jumped to that conclusion himself. Bokuto wasn’t thinking about how the pieces moved, he was planning how he would play. He knew the terminology. And to add insult to injury, Akaashi had explained the game to him like a child; not to mention he condescended Bokuto with how he talked after each win. It was embarrassing. He never once thought that Bokuto was having fun; only thinking of what he wanted to do, while Bokuto was simply enjoying spending time with Akaashi. He even played below his level for Akaashi. Akaashi was unbelievably shellfish; not once considering Bokuto’s feelings and needs. Akaashi had never been more ashamed and disappointed in himself. Suddenly, a hand was cradling his cheek and lifting his head to meet golden eyes.

“You’re a lot better about hiding your feelings than I am, but I can tell you’re upset. If I was mad or angry or sad or whatever, you’d know, I’m not the most subtle. I could have stopped you if I wanted to. I could have told you I know how to play. I could have done a whole lot of things, but I didn’t. Don’t beat yourself up over it. It’s ok, I got to see you passionate about something. That outweighs everything.” Bokuto bumped their heads together, and Akaashi brought his own hand up to cover the one that was cradling his cheek.

“Ok?” Botuko asked softly.

“Ok.” Akaashi responded. He gave a small smile. Of course, Bokuto had such a kind heart and didn’t pay any mind to the indiscretion. If Bokuto was happy and fine, so was Akaashi. Satisfied, Bokuto pressed a small kiss to Akaashi’s forehead and stood, stretching as he did. He mused about what movie they should watch, when he heard Akaashi call his name. He turned, and looked down at Akaashi, still sitting on the floor. The board had been rotated, and one of the pawns was moved two spaces ahead. 

“One more game, but this time, play me at your skill level.” Akaashi’s competitive spirit was hardly concealed behind his gunmetal eyes.

Smiling smugly, Bokuto sat back down, moving his knight.

The game had finally begun.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the chess match they play at the end, in case you need to visualize it! 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjSPqJgIgW0


End file.
